About Us

Candace O’Brien is the founder and President of Advocates for Surrogacy. Candace is an attorney who has dedicated almost two decades to being an advocate for individuals and couples seeking to build families through adoption and surrogacy regardless of their race, sexual orientation, marital status or gender. She has helped hundreds of couples in their quest to become parents through surrogacy and adoption. She understands the complexities of the laws involved and she is adept at managing the team who will be in place for your surrogacy arrangement. Most of all she is passionate and dedicated to helping create families.

Candace’s approach to each surrogacy journey is to provide her continual support and expertise to Intended Parents and Surrogates throughout their journey. These are not just some hollow buzz words thrown out to fill space on a page. This is really the difference that she offers those who choose Advocates for Surrogacy for their surrogacy journey. It starts from the time Intended Parents initially contacts us. Whether you are a Surrogate or an Intended Parent, Candace takes the time to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. She knows that this is a big deal for you and there are many issues to explore. This often is a process involving several conversations either in person or by telephone or Skype. Once on board Intended Parents and Surrogates will continue to work directly with Candace. No being shuffled around to different staff members.

Advocates for Surrogacy is a boutique agency BUT that does not mean less service. It means that you are continually being guided through the entire process by a pro and not handed off to less experienced staff once on board. This makes a big difference in your day to day experience.

Advocates for Surrogacy is not simply a “matching” agency – we consider ourselves to be your advocate and project manager which includes match maker with your surrogate, legal oversight, risk management, and case management for the entire process each and every step of the way. When it comes to building the team for your particular arrangement, we will ensure that you have experienced experts working on your behalf including, psychologists, lawyers, counselors, insurance experts and medical professionals.

Michelle Ross is our Surrogate Counselor. Michelle obtained her L.C.S.W. in 1998 and has been an advocate for alternative family formation, whether surrogacy or adoption, for over 20 years. Michelle brings to the team here at Advocates for Surrogacy her many years of experience helping individuals and families in therapeutical and clinical settings. Michelle’s main focus is to provide support for each surrogacy journey by engaging with our matched surrogates during their pregnancies.

Veronica Vander Krake is our Surrogate Mentor. Veronica teams up with each of our surrogates throughout their journeys to provide advice, assistance, and a listening ear. Since she is an experienced surrogate, she serves as a great resource, especially for our first time surrogates. Veronica is a mother of two who, in addition to being our Surrogate Mentor here at Advocates for Surrogacy, works part time as a caregiver for the developmentally and physically disabled. Veronica completed her first surrogacy journey in February of 2017 and “delivered a perfect little boy into the loving arms of his two fathers!” Veronica is currently on her second journey! When Veronica is asked about surrogacy, she responds: “ I LOVE ALL THINGS SURROGACY; helping complete a family is hands down one of THE most rewarding things I have ever, and probably will ever have done!”

Latest Blog Post

What Can a Surrogate Expect from her Journey?

Becoming a surrogate is one of life’s biggest decisions and will take commitment and dedication. No two journeys are the same. You will have hopes and dreams for your journey and you will also begin your journey with many questions and perhaps some anxiety. As you begin your journey, you will need to do some …Continue Reading

Most Frequent Questions from Women Considering to Become a Surrogate

There are a few frequent questions that we get asked by almost all surrogate candidates: What if the Intended Parents change their minds once I’m pregnant? What is something happens to the Intended Parents and I’m pregnant? What about insurance? I’m not insured. Surrogates are excited about the prospect of helping someone who can’t have …Continue Reading

What People Are Saying

“Here’s the thing, I thought we could save money by handling the surrogacy ourselves, but the truth is that we tried and we lost time and almost got ourselves into a mess. Our fertility clinic recommended we try an agency and gave us a few recommendations. Advocates for Surrogacy was on the list. We called, we never looked back. Candace and the team were amazing from the time we began matching with a surrogate which was a totally different experience from when we were trying to do that ourselves to handling the contract, to the medical process all the way to the delivery of our beautiful daughter.”

— B and Z

“Candace is great. We must have met with her 3 or 4 times and she was always patient and provided all the answers we needed and when we finally signed up we felt comfortable and at ease. We had called several other agencies before finding Advocates for Surrogacy and the experience was very different. We received information and had a chance to speak with the director but it was obvious that we were expected to make a decision based on information and one meeting. We just didn’t think that was enough for the emotional and financial commitment that surrogacy requires.”

— Sheila T.

“Our surrogacy journey was not easy. We had some false starts with surrogates and then our surrogate had 2 miscarriages but through it all Candace was there to help us get through the rough patches and helped us to stay the course. Candace would always check in with me regularly after the miscarriages and I really appreciated that. Our surrogate also had the same experience with Candace continually checking in with her. All I can say is that surrogacy can have some bumps but having Candace beside us made all the difference. We never lost our faith and confidence and in the end our dreams of having a child came true times two!”

— M&M

“I’ve had 4 surrogate journeys. Candace is great to work with. She is caring and understanding. I had a wonderful experience with Advocates for Surrogacy and would go through them anytime. Thanks Candace for another unforgettable journey.”

— P.D.

“Advocates for Surrogacy was our lifesaver. My cousin agreed to be our surrogate but we did not have the finances for IVF after several failed attempts on our own. I started to look at international programs and stumbled upon Advocates for Surrogacy’s Guatemala IVF Program. It was our answer. Even with the travel costs, it was a major savings. The doctors at the clinic were great and really took time to explain everything. Candace’s team in Guatemala were great. We were picked up at the airport, taken to the clinic and never felt we were on our own.”

— Tara K.

“I just completed my 5th surrogacy journey and my first with Advocates for Surrogacy. I was with another agency for 1st and 3rd journeys and did 2nd and 4th independently. My 1st and 3rd were so so and not much support from agency. 2nd independent was good but I had some problems with bills getting paid on time. My 2nd independent journey was a total mess so I definitely don’t recommend going independent even with experience. I can honestly say that working with Candace was great. She went to bat for me when I needed it and was always there.”